Backyard Wilderness, the Public Art Project
Artist's Statement: There is a disconnect between people’s everyday lived experience and their conception of nature as something external and removed. This leads to a concern that we will have no inclination for protecting the biodiversity with which we engage every day. Given that 81% of Canadians reside it urban centres (Statistics Canada, 2011), it is important to understand how city dwellers define and interact with urban wildlife and wilderness. Through an investigation into the urban ecology of Lethbridge, my aim is to challenge people to rethink their conceptions of nature as detached from our daily lives. One of the intended outcomes of my research is to increase awareness of, and the need for, engagement with urban ecologies as spaces in which humans and other species must live and thrive together.
Backyard Wilderness will appear on 6 billboards throughout Lethbridge from September 9 – October 6, 2019.
South Lethbridge:
4 Avenue South & 4 Street South, 13 Street South & 2 Avenue South, and Mayor Magrath Drive South & 5 Avenue South.
North Lethbridge:
Stafford Drive North & 5 Avenue North, 13 Street North & 7 Avenue North, and Mayor Magrath Drive North & 2 Avenue North.
This project would not have been possible without support from the following:
